![](https://emergencyservicestimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ESS-Button-resized.png")
This year heralds the United Kingdom Emergency Robotics Responders Organisation’s inaugural event, the first of its kind in the UK for bringing together all of the elements of emergency response using drones and robotics.
The main aims for the event, that takes place on 26 and 27 April at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service Training Academy, are to showcase new technology, with the opportunity for practitioners to network and have a hands-on experience with what the industry has to offer.
I have teamed up with former LFB and current Search and Rescue Aerial Association – Scotland Training Officer Darryl Ashford Smith to launch an all-encompassing organisation (UKERRO) for all types of emergency responders using drones and robotics.
We have taken the blueprint from the previous practitioner events and transformed them to one event that combines all types of robotics in the air, on the ground and on water. We have a range of world class guest speakers on their respective disciplines to share their knowledge, skills and the very latest in drone and robotics techniques.
The event will run over two days and comprise presentations each morning with the afternoons filled with practical, hands-on events at the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service Training Academy. There will be master classes delivered in a range of subject areas such as law enforcement, search and rescue, hazmat and USAR with vendor stands and live demonstrations where attendees can try out the technology on show.
This will be the first of an annual event that will aim to enhance and advance drone and robotics capabilities across the UK. The registration link for the free to attend event is provided at the foot of the page.
Background
Previously there has been a number of smaller events delivered by myself for emergency practitioners, focusing more on fire and rescue capabilities. This unique event will set a precedent for the future, facilitated for practitioners and not just an exhibition.
The project started when I became the London Fire Brigade (LFB) Drone Lead. I worked with most of the fire and rescue services bordering London, who had drone programmes to do joint training, discuss procedures and occasionally give support and advice on the creation of new programmes. As we pushed our capabilities further, especially in the indoor and hazardous materials (hazmat) environment, I saw a good opportunity to showcase undeveloped capabilities, at a venue where we could see the tech operate and then discuss development and evaluation with the manufacturers. The benefits were that responders had the opportunity to get hands-on experience to understand what they could bring back to their organisations.
The first event was with the London and Home Counties teams at Wethersfield Airfield, home to Essex County Fire and Rescue Service breathing apparatus training facility which allowed flight over live fire training facilities. Internal flying was also carried out with rudimentary propeller protection attached to drones normally used to fly externally as at that time, purpose-built drones for flying internally were not yet available.
Subsequent events were delivered at Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service’s training site at Waddington, an old military ordnance storage facility. This site allowed for further hazmat technology, using drones with hazmat detection and additional indoor drone flying in various conditions, from collapsed structures to multi-storey buildings.
This was the first-time robotics such as Spot the Boston Dynamics robot dog had been demonstrated to a lot of the practitioners in attendance and showcased its potential capabilities. The various buildings and bomb storage units were ideal for internal search operations to gain valuable experience.
Depending on their ability, I facilitated a three-step approach. The first set-up had empty, well-lit rooms so practitioners could get used to handling the drones internally. Next we had a partly lit search house for those who had been operating drones already but not internally. The final element was a collapsed structure, simulating a USAR incident with restricted space, hazards and low light. The site also contained railway carriages at various angles which allowed operators the opportunity to fly drones in challenging locations.
The scenarios were a good representation of where and how pilots may have to operate at such incidents and highlighted the advantage of using such technology instead of humans going into dangerous environments.
To find our more visit the UKERRO Summit registration page.
